Acidity and Alkalinity Explained

The human body depends on a proper biochemical balance for health. Key to our health is a balance between body acidity and alkalinity. Acidity and alkalinity has a profound impact on physical health. Many different kinds of acids influence the body, being produced as waste and existing as essential nutrients and digestive juices.

Natural systems such as the human body, or even a natural ecosystem such as a river or pond ecosystem all involve the balance of acidity and alkalinity, or PH as a core parameter in their condition and function. Fish in a home aquarium or a lake may sicken and die if the PH of the water rises or falls far outside of their optimum range of tolerance. Cellular function is affected by the PH of the environment in aquatic animals. In humans, our environment is not the deciding factor, it is the health of our bodies in relation to PH, our acidity and alkalinity, that really counts.

Biological activity produces wastes that tend to create acidity, while minerals high in calcium and mineral derived structures such as bones have the capacity to counteract acidity through their alkaline makeup. Our dietary intake and choice of fluids may affect our PH directly via their acidity and alkalinity. Indirectly, what we put in our bodies, our exercise choices, sleep and even emotional health may affect the biochemical and physiological function of our organs, which, surprise or no surprise, also plays an enormous role in our PH. And again, our PH controls our health.

The human body is all about balance – our bodies are able to detoxify acidic by-products which, left unchecked might otherwise contribute to excessive acidity.

But what if that acidity and alkalinity balance in your body is being overthrown? What if our modern lifestyle and a few small but frequent wrong health choices are waging a tenacious battle against our health by making us too acid?

What is the cause of this problem of excess acidity? Why should we be concerned about acidity and alkalinity? How serious is excessive acidity, and how might we correct this situation? The thing is, excessive alkalinity poses little to no concern, but our bodies have a tendency to deteriorate towards a state of excessive acidity.

In this article, we share the basics aspects of body acidity and alkalinity and the lifestyle and biochemical factors worth considering.

Terry Bell, herbalist; iridologist and creator and master of The Art of Sho-Tai® describes the 5 problematic body acids, their sources and effects in his short video, which you can view here, to understand the critical importance of addressing acidity and alkalinity.

The 5 body acids of interest are:

Lactic acid

Uric acid

Blood acid

Saliva acid

Body acid

Lactic acid is produced by exercise, and acts as a toxic byproduct of exercise. Uric acid in the urine can lead to swelling of the hands and feet, frequent urination, hair loss, sweating and congestive heart failure. Blood acid can cause rheumatism, fibromyalgia and diseases leading to aching due to acid related stress on the body through inflammation. Elevated saliva acid levels lead to feeling puffed, bloated, gastric irritation and feeling sick after eating if the body is gaining excessive internal acidity through saliva acid. Body acid is the acid that tells the pancreas to hold weight if it is too high. As stated by Terry Bell, each 10 pounds of extra fat could take a year off your life. Minimizing acid waste can minimize obesity.

All of these acids are naturally produced, but your ability to detoxify normal levels of acidic body waste may be compromised by the wrong lifestyle choices and dietary intake. At the same time, the wrong diet and lifestyle may artificially raise the levels of acid waste, interfering with the body's efficiency and overwhelming your body's capacity for processing acidic waste.

How can one combat these challenges? Firstly, a diet that can be efficiently processed by the body, which reduces acid waste. If a food cannot be efficiently digested, it will lead to the formation of acid waste through putrefaction. Gross!

And unhealthy for all your organ systems as acidity and alkalinity levels may be negatively affected. Second, the food you eat should not be overly high in its innate acid content. Thirdly, your diet should contain ample nutrients to support your metabolic function, blood and tissue formation and organ health.

Ample vegetables; cooked and raw may form up to 70 percent of your daily intake to regulate acidity and alkalinity. Of that 70 percent, 75 percent of your vegetables should be green leafy vegetables. 10 percent of our diet may consist of low glycemic fruit such as berries or applies. For the remaining 20 percent of your diet, protein from seeds and nuts, or if a meat eater, a moderate amount free range, organic, hormone free beef and chicken may be included. Due to the high starch level in grains it is best to minimize their intake.

Finally, healthy fats from healthy sources such as macadamia nuts, avocados, evening primrose oil and coconut oil form an important part of the diet. All nuts may be eaten. Please exercise caution with peanuts, which are not actually nuts but legumes on potential fungal contamination or allergic tendencies.

A moderate percentage of organic, free range meat, ideally low in acidic content can supplement your diet, together with seeds, nuts. Fruit and vegetable smoothies break down nutrients for easy absorption, forming a great way to boost your daily quota and support a proper balance of acidity and alkalinity. We cannot stress enough the importance of limiting intake of alcohol, highly processed items, and indigestible foods that may lead to poor digestion. Coffee or tea have definite health benefits – but as with all things, avoid excess.

There are an incredible number of ways that the wrong food may lead to acid gain; insufficient water also leads to concentration of acid.

Nutritional and herbal support for the organs that process acidic body waste is essential also to address the acidity and alkalinity balance. Try to find the right mix of herbal and nutritional support that will enhance the efficiency and vitality of your body through biochemical means, harnessing the healing power of the human body. With care, your body can function in the optimal range, with PH being one of the most important parts of your health planning.

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